Data visualization can be key to drawing value from information

Companies continue to look for new ways to gain value from the data they are gathering from an ever-growing number of sources. Data visualization—the graphical representation of information through components such as charts, graphs, maps and other elements—can help them achieve their goals.

Data visualization tools enable analysts and managers to see market trends and patterns in data, which can help them with decision making.

An October 2018 report by research firm Gartner Inc. noted that data visualization “is vital to modern [business intelligence] platforms.” Technical professionals who are focused on analytics can enable effective visualization by simplifying complexities for business users, the report said.

An attendee working on a laptop computer participates in the Yahoo! Inc. Mobile Developer Conference Hackathon in New York, U.S., on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2015. The Hackathon is an opportunity for mobile developers to come together and hack around the Yahoo! Inc. Mobile Developer Suite. Photographer: Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg

Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg

Interactive data visualization is a powerful tool for delivering insight to people in an intuitive form, Gartner said in an earlier study. In that report the firm outlined four things data and analytics leaders can do to get the most from data visualization as part of the ongoing modernization of BI and analytics.

One is to train users in more types of data visualization to get more business insights. Another is to use large format displays to encourage collaboration around data. A third is to make targeted use of infographic styles for high-impact use cases. And a fourth is to use augmented analytics to push visualization forward.